Bed covering



July 30, 1968 A. HALE 3,394,416

BED COVERING Filed Dec. 10. 1965 INVENTOR fl 0/771 A. HALE ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oifice 3,394,416 Patented July 30, 1968 3,394,416 BED COVERING Edith A. Hale, 310 E. 44th St., New York, N.Y. 10017 Filed Dec. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 512,862 1 Claim. (Cl. 5-354) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mattress and sheet combination the sheet being formed in three components, two components enveloping the ends of the mattress and the third component extending across the mattress in the middle portion thereof and slightly overlying the ends of the enveloping components.

This invention relates to house furnishings and in particular to beds and bed component arrangements and structure.

With the implementation of the recently passed medicare program, particularly as applied to nursing homes and other institutions for the aged and the resulting increase in care that will be devoted to elderly patients, the nursing problem of giving suflicient time to patients will be intensified. Many of such patients are bedridden and helplessly incontinent and, therefore, require regular, personal care. Time saving devices and procedures which are directed toward the solution of the problem will be certain to have high utility.

To this end the present invention relates to improvements in the art of bed making providing therefor a sheet and mattress construction and arrangement necessary to adequately perform the art. In general, the construction consists of a mattress and sheet combination with the sheet formed of three discrete parts, two parts thereof being in the form of a case or envelope which is easily slipped over the head and foot ends respectively of the mattress and the third part being stretched across the mattress between the first mentioned parts and slightly tucked under the mattress on each side. This third part serves as a halfsheet which is readily and regularly changed as it becomes soiled by the patient. The head and foot sheet components need changing considerably less often but are also easily changed as required. Because they completely envelop the mattress at each end and extend but a short distance thereon, it is possible to encase the ordinarly hospital mattress at each end while standing on one side of the bed. The cross half-sheet in the middle of the bed may also be slightly tucked in at each side of the mattress from one side of the bed depending on bed width.

One object of the invention is to provide a mattress and sheet combination which will greatly expedite bed making and changing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method for making and changing beds using uniquely designed components of bed dress.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be appreciated on reading the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with certain parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one detail of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a single bed of ordinary dimensions is generally designated by the numerical character reference 5. Atop the bed is disposed a mattress 7 which is entirely encased by a sheet casing 9 at the head and a similarly formed sheet casing 11 at the foot. The sheet casings extend no more than a third of the length of the mattress.

In the space provided between the envelope sheets approximately in the middle of the mattress is half-sheet 13 which may be slightly tucked under the mattress as shown on each side. If desired, ribbon 15 may be provided to hold the end casings in position being disposed underneath the half sheet 13 on the sides of the mattress.

In the process of making and changing the bed, the maker first slips the sheet casings over the respective ends of the mattress and then lays the half-sheet between the casings across the bed tucking in the ends thereof. Subsequently, in changing the bed, she merely has to, on most occasions, substitute a clean half-sheet which is of comparatively narrow width for that which has been soiled by the patients bed wetting.

It is apparent that the above described mattress and sheet combination may have application to infants and childrens cribs and beds as well as to beds of afllicted adults. Other applications and embodiments of the inven tion may be perceived by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and principle of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mattress and sheet combination a mattress and a sheet formed in three separate and distinct components or parts, two of said parts being in the form of an envelope or case completely encasing the head and foot portions respectively of the mattress and a third part extending across the bed and slightly tucked in on each side of the mattress in the middle portion thereof and overlying and slightly overlapping the ends of the enveloping components.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,897,521 2/1933 Lagarde 5354 2,870,463 1/1959 Hoppe 5 334 2,982,976 5/1961 Ferolito 5-335 3,011,182 12/1961 Burks 5335 3,113,326 12/ 1963 Hyde et a1 5335 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

